Investors focused on the Basic Materials space have likely heard of B2Gold (BTG Quick QuoteBTG - Free Report) , but is the stock performing well in comparison to the rest of its sector peers? Let's take a closer look at the stock's year-to-date performance to find out.

B2Gold is one of 237 individual stocks in the Basic Materials sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #4 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different groups, measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the sector to gauge the strength of each group.

The Zacks Rank is a proven system that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions, highlighting a variety of stocks that are displaying the right characteristics to beat the market over the next one to three months. BTG is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for BTG's full-year earnings has moved 5.06% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

Our latest available data shows that BTG has returned about 54.61% since the start of the calendar year. Meanwhile, the Basic Materials sector has returned an average of 1.05% on a year-to-date basis. This means that B2Gold is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

Looking more specifically, BTG belongs to the Mining - Gold industry, a group that includes 33 individual stocks and currently sits at #113 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 31.04% so far this year, so BTG is performing better in this area.

BTG will likely be looking to continue its solid performance, so investors interested in Basic Materials stocks should continue to pay close attention to the company.